Big Picture Big Sound

The Film

If you think that The Office's Jim Halpert is the dream boyfriend, you should see Burt Farlander (John Krasinski). OK -- his name isn't as cool, but the sentiment is still there in the Sam Mendes indie flick Away We Go.

However, Krasinski isn't the only TV star to grace this small, yet star-studded production. There's also Saturday Night Live alum Maya Rudolph, as his pregnant partner Verona, who won't marry the lovestruck daddy-to-be thanks to bad family history.  

Speaking of bad families: During a dinner, Burt's parents (Catherine O'Hara and Jeff Daniels) announce that they are going to live in Belgium for two years -- missing some crucial, cute moments, such as the impeding baby's birth.

Instead of harping on the disappointment, the two decide the world (or at least the U.S. and Canada) is their oyster, and they set out on a journey to find a place that the two-and-a-half can call home.

Husband-and-wife team Vendela Vida and Dave Eggers wrote this sweet, tender dramedy. Krasinski and Rudolph make a very cute, convincing pair. Don't expect Away We Go to be as hilarious as what you'd see in their TV work, but there are plenty of laughs as well as surprising moments. There's also a slew of memorable appearances, most notably Alison Janney as Verona's completely bizarre, inappropriate former boss; and Maggie Gyllenhaal as Burt's blast from the past, who freaks out at the sight of strollers ("I love my babies. Why would I want to push them away from me?"), but doesn't find anything wrong with breast feeding anything with two legs.

Need to know more about the movie? Check out Lexi Feinberg's theatrical review of Away We Go.

The Picture

A lot of the $17 million budget for Away We Go must have been spent on creating the journey. Of course, the cast and crew didn't hit as many spots as its characters, but the ones used do look awesome in this 2.35:1 transfer. In fact, it made us want to travel more. The locations, including Phoenix and Florida, project a lush look, with tons of scenery and bright colors. Other notable images include Burt's parents' very blue house, as well as Verona's big, beautiful (but surprisingly fake) belly.

The Sound

Away We Go is really all about the dialogue, which this DTS-HD Master Audio track delivers very well. Expect to get a slight jolt from the film's few minutes at the track, as well as one Montreal club. Other than that and the Alexi Murdoch-laden soundtrack, there's very little going on in the surrounds during the film's 98-minute runtime.

The Extras

Away We Go is a no-frills movie -- literally. According to IMDB, this was the first studio production to adopt green filmmaking initiatives. The goal was to reduce CO2 emission. This is covered in a 6.5-minute featurette, which talks about how the entire cast and crew used less plastic, less trailers, and made an effort to recycle everything possible. Aside from that, there's a pretty typical 16-minute making-of piece, as well as commentary with Mendes, Eggers and Vida.

Final Thoughts

A major departure from the other films in the Sam Mendes catalog (American Beauty, Jarhead, Revolutionary Road), Away We Go is a pleasant peek at a couple trying to do better. Just don't call it a comedy -- but there are plenty of sweet laughs along the way.

Product Details

• Actors: John Krasinski, Maya Rudolph, Jeff Daniels, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Allison Janney, Chris Messina, Catherine O'Hara, Paul Schneider
• Director: Sam Mendes
• Audio/Languages: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (English), DTS 5.1 (French, Spanish), Dolby Digital 2.0 (English)
• Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Region: A
• Number of Discs: 1
• Rating: R
• Studio: Universal Pictures
• Blu-ray Disc Release Date: September 29, 2009
• Run Time: 98 minutes
• List Price: $39.98
• Extras:
  • Feature Commentary with Director Sam Mendes and Writers Dave Eggers & Vendela Vida
  • The Making of Away We Go
  • Green Filmmaking